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Objectives: Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) increases during physical activity. Activities with high IAP are often restricted for women because of potential pelvic floor overloading. Researchers categorize high IAP activities using absolute values (in centimeters of water). Although essential for descriptive purposes, absolute IAP may not be ideal for individualized exercise recommendations. For oxygen consumption, a well-established measure of fitness, exercise scientists use a percentage of the maximal value observed during exercise to create relative exercise intensity prescriptions for an individual. Relative exercise intensity correlates inversely to the maximal value observed. We explore whether this approach and response pattern extend to IAP observed during exercise., Methods: Fifty-five women completed 16 exercises while wearing a vaginal sensor to measure IAP. The highest mean IAP occurred during seated Valsalva/strain (IAPSTRAIN). We calculated relative IAP (in percent) for each participant by dividing the maximal IAP during each exercise by IAPSTRAIN. We examined relationships between relative IAP and IAPSTRAIN for each activity using Pearson r correlations., Results: Mean age was 30.4 ± 9.4 years, and body mass index was 22.4 ± 2.6 kg/m. For most women, IAP was greater during strain than during exercises. Relative IAPs negatively correlated with IAPSTRAIN. Excluding one exercise because of small sample sizes, r for all others ranged from -0.35 to -0.80, all statistically significant., Conclusions: The relative IAP responses to many exercises exhibit an inverse relationship to the highest IAP values during strain, consistent with other variables measured during exercise. Relative IAP may provide an alternative to absolute IAP in understanding IAP's effect on pelvic floor health.

Objective: The primary aim of this study was to determine if fecal incontinence (FI) is associated with self-reported fluid intake in women seeking care for pelvic floor disorders. The secondary aim was to determine the association between bowel symptoms and fluids associated with FI., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of women presenting for evaluation of pelvic floor disorders from 2009 to 2015. The presence of FI was defined as an affirmative response of any frequency to the question, "During the last 4 weeks, how often have you leaked or soiled yourself with stool?" Data on fluid intake and bowel symptoms were collected using the Questionnaire-based Voiding Diary and Colorectal-Anal Distress Inventory short form, respectively. The relationship between FI and quartiles of fluid intake, as well as the relationship between bowel symptoms and fluids associated with FI, was analyzed., Results: Nine hundred twenty-four women were included: 379 (41%) with and 545 (59%) without FI. There was an association between FI and increasing total carbonated fluid intake (P = 0.009) and decreasing water intake (P = 0.009). The associations between FI and carbonated fluid intake and FI and water intake remained significant after controlling for patient characteristics (P < 0.05). There was a significant association between the symptom of straining to defecate and carbonated beverage intake (P = 0.046), which remained significant after controlling for patient characteristics (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Consumption of carbonated beverages is associated with FI in women. Intake of carbonated fluids is associated with bowel symptoms that may exacerbate FI symptoms.

Objectives: This study aimed to describe and compare pelvic floor symptoms and symptom burden between nulliparous Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women in the third trimester of pregnancy and to determine, in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI), whether bother differs between groups, adjusted for UI severity., Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis, participants completed the Epidemiology of Prolapse and Incontinence and Incontinence Severity Index questionnaires. We compared differences in symptom domains between groups using logistic regression and tested the effect of ethnicity on bother in women with SUI using linear regression., Results: The sample comprised 418 non-Hispanic white and 154 Hispanic women. Prevalence rates of symptom domains ranged from 5.0% and 7.1% for pelvic organ prolapse to 95.2% and 94.2% for overactive bladder in non-Hispanic white and Hispanic women, respectively. After adjusting age, height, weight, education, physical activity, and gestational age, non-Hispanic whites had 2.37-fold increased odds (95% confidence interval, 1.44-3.92) for defecatory dysfunction and had nonsignificant increases in other symptom domains. Non-Hispanic whites were more likely to endorse symptoms in 3 or more domains than Hispanic women (58.9% vs 40.3%, respectively; P = 0.0001). Given the same UI severity (Incontinence Severity Index), Hispanic women with SUI reported 7.5 points greater bother (Epidemiology of Prolapse and Incontinence) than non-Hispanic white women (P = 0.07)., Conclusions: After adjustment, we found few differences in the prevalence of pelvic floor symptom domains between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women, apart from defecatory dysfunction. If differences by ethnicity in other pelvic floor symptoms exist, they do not seem to originate during the first pregnancy.

Background: Paradoxical puborectalis contraction (PPC) is a syndrome of obstructed defecation associated with a cluster of complaints including rectal pain, incomplete evacuatory sensation, prolonged repetitive straining with bowel movements, and the need for digital manipulation. Traditional treatment has yielded mixed results., Case: We present a case of PPC successfully treated with staged sacral neuromodulation and review her diagnostic features, medical regimen, and prior unsuccessful interventions tried. Symptoms were analyzed using a visual analog scale pain score (0-10). Criteria to progress to implantation of the pulse generator included a pain score less than 3 during test stimulation and/or greater than 50% decrease in the pain score compared to baseline.Our patient had a pain score of 0 (baseline 8) with stage 1 sacral neuromodulation. In addition, she had dramatic relief in her straining with bowel movements and need for digital manipulation. Her pulse generator was implanted after a 2-week trial, and she has experienced a lasting improvement at her follow-up of 2 years., Conclusions: Sacral neuromodulation is an established therapy for overactive bladder syndrome, urinary retention, and fecal incontinence. In urology, the use of sacral neuromodulation has been described to benefit some patients with pelvic floor pain. Sacral neuromodulation can be a successful treatment for PPC and functional anorectal pain with resulting improvement in quality of life without the sequelae of an invasive and irreversible surgery.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine factors associated with decreased pelvic floor strength (PFS) after the first vaginal delivery (VD) in a cohort of low-risk women., Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a prospective study examining the risk of pelvic floor injury in a cohort of primiparous women. All recruited participants underwent an examination, three-dimensional ultrasound and measurement of PFS in the third trimester and repeated at 4 weeks to 6 months postpartum using a perineometer., Results: There were 84 women recruited for the study, and 70 completed the postpartum assessment. Average age was 28.4 years (standard deviation, 4.8). There were 46 (66%) subjects with a VD and 24 (34%) with a cesarean delivery who labored. Decreased PFS was observed more frequently in the VD group compared with the cesarean delivery group (68% vs 42%, P = 0.03).In modified Poisson regression models controlling for mode of delivery and time of postpartum assessment, women who were aged 25 to 29 years (risk ratio = 2.80, 95% confidence interval, 1.03-7.57) and 30 years and older (risk ratio = 2.53, 95% confidence interval, 0.93-6.86) were over 2.5 times more likely to have decreased postpartum PFS compared with women younger than 25 years., Conclusions: In this population, women aged 25 years and older were more than twice as likely to have a decrease in postpartum PFS.

Objectives: Levator avulsion is associated with pelvic organ prolapse in women. It is diagnosed clinically by a widened gap on palpation between the insertion of the puborectalis muscle on the inferior pubic ramus and the urethra. This gap can also be assessed on imaging. This study aimed to determine the association between sonographically determined levator-urethral gap (LUG) measurements and symptoms and signs of prolapse., Methods: This is a retrospective study on 450 women seen in a tertiary urogynecological center for symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction between January 2013 and February 2014. All had a standardized interview, International Continence Society Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification assessment and 4-dimensional translabial ultrasound. Post-imaging analysis of archived ultrasound volumes for LUG measurement was undertaken on tomographic slices at the plane of minimal hiatal dimensions and within 5-mm cranial to this plane, bilaterally at an interslice interval of 2.5 mm, blinded against all clinical data. A LUG of 25 mm or greater was considered abnormal., Results: Mean LUG and maximum LUG in individuals were 22.5 mm (SD, 4.6) and 26.4 mm (SD, 6.0), respectively, with at least 1 abnormal LUG in 51% (n = 222). An abnormal LUG in all 3 slices involving the plane of minimal hiatal dimensions and within 5 mm cranial to this plane on at least 1 side was fulfilled in 24% (n = 103). The LUG measurements were strongly associated with bother, symptoms and signs of prolapse (P < 0.001 to 0.002). This remained significant on multivariate analysis controlling for potential confounding factors., Conclusions: Sonographically determined LUG is strongly associated with symptoms, symptom bother, and pelvic organ prolapse on clinical examination and imaging.

Objective: Persistent postoperative pain (PPOP) is the second most common reason for a patient to seek care at a chronic pain center. Many of the patients seen with prolapse or incontinence are at risk for developing PPOP as a result of the surgeries done for these problems. The pathophysiology of this disabling pain disorder is well understood, and the risk factors are easy to identify. Once identified, perioperative interventions can be offered to attempt to prevent PPOP., Methods and Results: Evaluation of articles obtained using a MEDLINE search involving chronic pain and PPOP, including prevalence, pathophysiology, and prevention was reviewed. The concept of central censitization and the key role it plays in chronic pain disorders were also reviewed. A history of chronic pain (anywhere) as well as findings of levator myalgia, allodynia, and hypertonic pelvic floor disorders is critical in identifying patients at risk for PPOP., Conclusions: Identification of patients at risk allows the clinician to educate the patient about the risk of PPOP and the various perioperative interventions that can be used to prevent its development. Further studies will be required to determine how effective these interventions are in patients undergoing surgery for incontinence and/or pelvic organ prolapse.

Objectives: Although a relationship between pelvic floor dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms is described in the literature, the mechanism and pathways need further characterization. We developed an animal model of pelvic floor dysfunction after noxious stimulation of the pubococcygeus (PC) muscle., Methods: Fifteen female adult rabbits were evaluated with cystometry (CMG) and electromyography (EMG) recordings from the PC muscle. Cystometry/EMG was performed before and after treatment animal (n = 11) received noxious pelvic floor electrical stimulation through the PC EMG electrode, and controls (n = 4) underwent sham needle placement. Two animals underwent S3 dorsal rhizotomy to demonstrate that the observed results required afferent innervation., Results: Voiding changes were demonstrated in 9 of 11 rabbits after stimulation. Most of the rabbits (7/9) exhibited a prolonged-dysfunctional voiding pattern with larger capacity (mean, 17 mL [SEM, ±8 mL]), longer intercontractile interval (227% [SEM, ±76%]) and duration (163% [SEM, ±20%]), and increased postvoid residual (24 mL [SEM, ±6 mL]). The remaining dysfunctional rabbits (2/9) exhibited an overactive-dysfunctional voiding pattern with lower capacity (-26 mL [SEM, ±6 mL]), shortened intercontractile interval (16% [SEM, ±9%]) and duration (56% [SEM, ±30%]), and decreased postvoid residual (-27 mL [SEM, ±6 mL]). Nonresponder rabbits (2/11) were relatively unchanged in their micturition cycles after stimulation. Rhizotomy animals were acontractile and filled until overflow incontinence occurred., Conclusions: Using noxious electrical stimulation of the pelvic musculature, we were able to produce an animal model of pelvic floor dysfunction in most rabbits as hallmarked by a larger bladder capacity, an increased intercontractile interval, and prolonged contraction duration.

Aims: In the urodynamics laboratory setting, a wireless pressure transducer, developed to facilitate research exploring intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and pelvic floor disorders, was highly accurate. We aimed to study reproducibility of IAP measured using this transducer in women during activities performed in an exercise science laboratory., Methods: Fifty-seven women (mean ± SD, age 30.4 ±9.3 years; body mass index, 22.4 ± 2.68 kg/m) completed 2 standardized activity sessions using the same transducer at least 3 days apart. Pressure data for 31 activities were transmitted wirelessly to a base station and analyzed for mean net maximal IAP, area under the curve, and first moment of the area. Activities included typical exercises, lifting 13.6 to 18.2 kg, and simulated household tasks. Analysis for test-retest reliability included Bland-Altman plots with absolute limits of agreement, Wilcoxon signed rank tests to assess significant differences between sessions, intraclass correlations, and κ statistics to assess intersession agreement in highest versus other quintiles of maximal IAP., Results: Few activities exhibited significant differences between sessions in maximal IAP, or in area under the curve and first moment of the area values. For 13 activities, the agreement between repeat measures of maximal IAP was better than ±10 cm H20; for 20 activities, better than ±15 cm H20. The absolute limits of agreement increased with mean IAP. The highest quintile of IAP demonstrated fair/substantial agreement between sessions in 25 of 30 activities., Conclusions: Reproducibility of IAP depends on the activity undertaken. Interventions geared toward lowering IAP should account for this, maximize efforts to improve IAP reproducibility.

Objective: The authors' intent was to determine the clinical efficacy of comprehensive pelvic floor rehabilitation among women with symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD)., Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of women referred to an academic female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery practice for PFD. Data were gathered from the records of 778 women referred for pelvic floor therapy for urinary, bowel, pelvic pain, and sexual symptoms over the course of 4 years., Results: Patients who completed at least 5 therapy sessions reported a mean symptom improvement of 80% in each of the 3 main categories analyzed, namely, urinary incontinence, defecatory dysfunction, and pelvic pain., Conclusions: Comprehensive, nonoperative management of PFD including pelvic floor muscle training, biofeedback, electrogalvanic stimulation, constipation management, behavioral modification, incontinence devices, and pharmacotherapy including vaginal estrogen is effective in the treatment of women with PFD.

Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) is a complex biopsychosocial phenomenon. Screening, identifying and managing urogenital and sexual symptoms often result in significant improvement in women's quality of life. Providers must proactively question patients about possible presence of FSD. When a sexual problem is present, identify the type of FSD, counsel patients on the appropriate approaches to treatment. No single therapeutic approach is effective in treating all types of FSD.

Objective: This study aimed to describe magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in women with defecatory dysfunction who perform manual splinting., Methods: This is a retrospective study of 29 patients from a single urogynecology center who presented with complaints of defecatory dysfunction and who reported manual splinting to assist with bowel movements. Patients were scheduled for an MRI study with a novel "splinting" protocol to evaluate the effects of their manual splinting on the pelvic floor. The protocol involved asking patients to splint during the MRI, as they normally would when trying to defecate. The goal was to evaluate any change in pelvic anatomy and compensation for an anatomic defect that could potentially lead to their defecatory dysfunction. Magnetic resonance images of the pelvis were obtained at rest, with pelvic floor contraction, with Valsalva, and during manual splinting. These images were then reviewed by radiologists who evaluated various parameters, including anorectal angle, levator ani muscle integrity, and the presence of rectocele, cystocele, apical prolapse, and enterocele. The external and internal anal sphincters were also evaluated for continuity., Results: From September 2008 to October 2010, 29 women reported defecatory dysfunction and the need for manual splinting. Their mean (SD) age was 55.2 (10.5) years. Magnetic resonance images showed a rectocele in 86.2% of the study group, cystocele in 75.9%, enterocele in 10.3%, and a defect of the levator ani muscles in 17.2%. Twenty-one (72.4%) women had more than 1 of these defects. In addition, 27.6% had an anorectal angle less than 90 degrees or greater than 105 degrees.Patients in the study group splinted in the vagina (58.6%), on the perineum (31.0%), or on the buttock (10.3%). In all but 1 woman (96.6%), splinting improved or completely corrected the identified defect(s) as evidenced with MRI. Among those who used vaginal splinting, 52.9% of defects were corrected and 47.1% were improved. Perineal splinting corrected 55.6% and improved 33.3% of cases and was ineffective in 11.1% of cases, whereas buttock splinting corrected 33.3% and improved 66.7% of cases., Conclusions: Most women in our study group who used manual splinting to assist in defecation are compensating for a pelvic floor defect that can be detected on MRI. Magnetic resonance imaging of the pelvis may help elucidate the etiology of the defecatory dysfunction in some women and may assist pelvic reconstructive surgeons in planning surgical correction of pelvic floor defects. Magnetic resonance imaging may also identify defects in the pelvic floor that are, at the present time, not amenable to surgical correction.